Mosque's lesson in dealing with ASIO
From: The Australian 2 February 2012, by: JOHN FERGUSON:
A CAMPAIGN to frustrate the domestic spy agency's attempts to root out homegrown Islamic terrorism is being waged at a mosque linked to a jailed former spiritual leader.
The Islamic Society of Victoria's Preston Mosque is challenging a push by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation to monitor and investigate worshippers who gather in Melbourne's northeast.
The society has used prominent Victorian barrister Robert Stary to educate the Islamic community on the way ASIO operates.
Mr Stary told The Australian yesterday he spoke at the mosque in December when, he conceded, he had offered scathing analysis of the so-called war against terror.
On ASIO, he said: "They've been engaged in intelligence gathering and I've just told them (Preston Mosque) to be wary. They're (ASIO) aggressive in the community -- have been aggressive in the community -- certainly for the last six-12 months."
A report on Mr Stary's address features on the society's website, which accuses ASIO of sowing "distrust and fear". The mosque was linked to self-styled Islamic spiritual leader Abdul Nacer Benbrika, 51, who along with six other men was sentenced to jail in 2009 for terrorism offences. Targets included the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Crown casino.
In his address to the mosque, Mr Stary was critical of what he claimed was Australia's pro-Israel stance, adding yesterday that Julia Gillard was showing bias towards Israel. He has hit out at what he described as the influence of the so-called Jewish lobby and added he had been reported accurately by the Islamic society.
Australia-Israel & Jewish Affairs Council executive director Colin Rubenstein said the reported comments were inflammatory.
"If accurately reported, (Mr) Stary's comments about the 'powerful Jewish lobby groups who have the economic upper-hand' in this country, and the implication that this leads ASIO 'to suppress pro-Palestinian groups' are ugly and worrying," he said.
"These false conspiratorial claims not only play strongly into traditional anti-Jewish stereotypes, they clearly risk damage to inter-communal harmony in multicultural Australia."
The Preston community was told what to do if approached by ASIO and to be aware that the intelligence organisation was using covert operatives to inflitrate the community.
Visiting some websites would trigger interest from the authorities and worshippers were warned that freedom of speech was limited, particularly if it involved discussions about illegal activities.
"Conspiracy is an offence, you don't need to possess weapons or anything of the like, talk is sufficient," the website states. At the mosque yesterday, Islamic Council of Victoria president Ramzi Elsayed said there was anecdotal evidence of ASIO being active in the community. "There would appear to be some substance to what they're saying," he said.
An ASIO spokesman referred The Australian to comments by its director-general of security, David Irvine, last month:
"ASIO is not against Islam; it is against terrorism."